Freehold Jail Guard Admits Giving Cell Phone To Inmate Boyfriend

FREEHOLD, NJ — A Monmouth County jail guard has admitted giving a cell phone to an inmate she was romantically involved with, the county prosecutor's office announced.

The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office correctional police officer worked at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold.

Latonya C. Johnson, 52, of Piscataway in Middlesex County, pleaded guilty to second-degree knowingly providing an electronic communication device to an inmate in an appearance before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Christie L. Bevacqua last week, the prosecutor's office said.

She admitted providing a cell phone to an inmate, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Monday.

Sentencing in the case has been scheduled for Jan. 12, at which time Johnson is expected to be sentenced to a term of three years in state prison.

Upon entering her plea, Johnson permanently forfeited the right to seek future public employment in New Jersey.

An investigation led by the prosecutor's office Professional Responsibility and Bias Crime Bureau - and assisted by the correctional institution's Investigations Division - revealed that Johnson brought the cell phone into the jail sometime between May and October 2022, when she and the inmate were engaged in a romantic relationship, in order to be able to communicate with him more frequently. Johnson was charged in January 2023.

The case is being prosecuted by Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Melanie Falco, Director of the Professional Responsibility and Bias Crime Bureau. Johnson is being represented by Carlos Diaz-Cobo, Freehold.